District Testing

Program-specific content outlines are provided in the sections below. Content will be linked as it becomes available.

The ACT: Early Spring Administration

The ACT® test is the nation's most popular college entrance exam accepted and valued by all universities and colleges in the United States. The ACT is based on what students learn in high school and provides personalized information about their strengths for education and career planning.

More Information on the ACT

See the available resources in the drop-downs below. If you have general questions, call 800.553.6244, ext. 2800. For questions specific to accommodations or supports, call 800.553.6244, ext. 1788 or email ACTStateAccoms@act.org.

Select Your Testing Staff

Tips for Success

Bookmark the url for your state’s testing website (this site) and check back frequently for updated information and content.

Mark important dates from your Schedule of Events on your calendar and set reminders for deadlines.

Read the What’s New document and pay close attention to recent changes, including those around EL supports and return shipping procedures.

Familiarize yourself with the seven stages of the testing cycle (Orientation, Configuration, Verification, Preparation, Administration, Transportation, and Interpretation) by browsing the drop-down trays for the ACT. You can see a brief description, action items, and resources associated with each stage to help you get a feel for the testing timeline. Content will be linked as it becomes available.

Watch for emails from ACT with important reminders. Add our email address to your contacts to prevent emails from going to spam/junk folders.

Important Links

PearsonAccessnext is the web application used by testing staff (i.e., test coordinators, room supervisors) to start and monitor the tests when taking the ACT online. It is also used for administrative tasks leading up to testing, like managing participation and ordering materials.

The online Test Accessibility and Accommodations System (TAA) is used for the ACT test accommodations and English learner (EL) supports management. Requests are submitted and monitored with this system.

Tips for Success

Pay close attention to the dates that ACT is asking you to select in TAA. National test dates are also listed, so be sure to distinguish the test dates for your state’s administration.

Note the fact that there are field size limitations for the SDU loads. First names are limited to 12 characters and last names are limited to 16. Making adjustments to generated files before loading will prevent errors.

If you’re updating test coordinator information, it has to be changed in two places: the manage contacts screen and creating a new user account (see the PearsonAccessnextUser Guide for the ACT Test in the resources above).

The TAA PIN can only be applied to an examinee if:

The school has indicated they are participating in PearsonAccessnext.

The Student data has been uploaded in PearsonAccessnext.

The request has been submitted in TAA.

The test date has been associated in TAA.

The examinee has been approved for ACT-approved accommodations (not NCR or local arrangements).

The examinee’s information in PearsonAccessnext matches the examinee’s information in TAA (including the spelling of the examinee’s name/use of a nickname).

Communications from ACT about PIN applications/materials are in PearsonAccessnext, not TAA.

Verify Requests for Accommodations and/or Supports

Tips for Success

All transferred/newly enrolled students need to be uploaded in PearsonAccessnext during the window for verifying student information listed on your Schedule of Events.

You do not place an order for initial standard time test materials; this order is automatically generated by your student enrollment count in PearsonAccessnext. Orders for initial materials for students testing with ACT-approved accommodations or EL supports are automatically generated when ACT enters the TAA PIN in PearsonAccessnext.

If additional materials are needed after the window to verify student enrollment has passed, submit an additional order in PearsonAccessnext for standard time examinees, or call the ACT Test Accommodations team for materials needed for examinees approved to test with accommodations or EL supports.

You can track test materials shipments using the Orders & Shipment Tracking option in PearsonAccessnext.

If selecting the Late Consideration date in TAA, make sure the Late Consideration Form is included.

Complete a Mock Administration, especially if there will be students using text-to-speech functionality.

Successfully Achieving College and Career Readiness for All Students -A program of self-paced tutorials designed for educators to strengthen their knowledge of the ACT test. This program will help educators apply that knowledge by integrating instructional practices promoting college and career readiness for all students to help them maximize their performance on the ACT.